"What children can do together today, they can do alone tomorrow." Lev Vygotsky, 1962
Cooperative Grouping, is a learning strategy that is also known as Cooperative Learning. This strategy is a fantastic method of combining learning with social skills, by dividing the students into small groups, with specific goals, that require the group to work together for a common goal. Its methods have been researched over the course of several decades, and proves to be an effective method, by teaching accountability and responsibility for others in an academic setting. Cooperative learning has even proved to be beneficial in a multicultural classroom, and helping those students that are second language learners. The benefits for this type of instruction are plentiful, and the creativity for lesson plans are endless for educators.
Cooperative learning brings the students together so that they may have a "meeting of the minds." Their success depends on one another, and it also helps encourage respect for their other group members, problem solving, and critical thinking and helps students come out of their shell. According to David and Roger Johnson in their Introduction to Cooperative Learning, "How teachers structure student-student interaction patterns has a lot to say about how well students learn, how they feel about school and the teacher, how they feel about each other, and how much self-esteem they have."
The need for Cooperative learning does not end within the K-12 classroom. It is also a technique commonly used in higher education. The students establish a relationship among their other group’s members, and there are several processes that come into play. According to the Journal of Effective Teaching, both Kari and Jennifer Jones describe the 5 Pillars of Cooperative Learning
Figure 1
The benefits for students using the Cooperative learning method is plentiful. Not only are their academic benefits, but also the social-emotional growth that occurs during this activity, and the role of contribution it can play for the students in the future. The five most desired attributes by employers, as researched by Kari and Jennifer Jones, in The Journal of Effective Teaching, are the following:
Self-Management- assesses self accurately, sets personal goals, monitors progress, and exhibits self-control
Ability to participates as member of a team- contributes to group effort
Ability to exercises leadership- communicates ideas to justify position, persuades and convinces others, responsibly challenges existing procedures and policies
Ability to work with diversity- works well with men and women from diverse backgrounds
All of these attributes can be developed by this teaching method. "Without the cooperation of its members society cannot survive, and the society of man has survived because the cooperativeness of its members made survival possible…. It was not an advantageous individual here and there who did so, but the group."(Johnson & Johnson from Introduction to Cooperative Learning)
There are many lesson plans that can involve Cooperative Grouping, and the resources to help teachers develop their strategies are endless. For example, Laura Chandler, a fellow educator, developed her own site on this teaching methods, and she offers some free resources for the classroom.
Dr. Spencer Kagan, and his team, have done years of research on student centered teaching, and Dr. Kagan's website is full of free articles, tips, resources and other information to help inform teachers, on the student centered teaching methods, developed by Dr. Kagan, including Cooperative Learning. In one of his articles, The Essential 5: AStarting Point for Kagan Cooperative Learning, this gives teachers a starting point on ideas for their Cooperative Learning lesson plan.
The Essential 5!
RoundRobin
In pairs, students alternate generating brief oral responses.
Examples:
• List adjectives to describe the character.
• List inert elements.
• Share steps of the experiment.
• Describe an event from the story.
Timed Pair Share
In pairs, students share with a partner for a predetermined time while the partner listens. Then partners switch roles.
Examples:
• What is the key thing that you learned?
• What is one literary technique you plan to use in your writing and how will you use it?
RoundRobin
In teams, students take turns responding orally.
Examples:
• What makes a good listener?
• List objects that float?
• What clubs or societies are you a member of?
• What is one of your favorite movies?
RallyCoach
Partners take turns, one solving a problem while the other coaches. Then partners switch roles.
• Useful for any process or procedure with a definite right/wrong.
• Solve multi-step word problems in math.
• Change each decimal into a simplified fraction.
Stand Up, Hand Up, Pair Up
Students stand up, put their hand up and quickly find a partner with whom to share or discuss.
This structure is perfect for classbuilding, processing and reviewing information, energizing the class, forming random pairs or teams, lesson starts or wraps.
Overall, Cooperative Learning can be both beneficial to both, the students and the teacher. It also allows the teacher to engage their students in a more personal, effective way that will build friendships and relationships that may last beyond the end of the school year.
Lev Vygotsky, 1962
Cooperative Grouping, is a learning strategy that is also known as Cooperative Learning. This strategy is a fantastic method of combining learning with social skills, by dividing the students into small groups, with specific goals, that require the group to work together for a common goal. Its methods have been researched over the course of several decades, and proves to be an effective method, by teaching accountability and responsibility for others in an academic setting. Cooperative learning has even proved to be beneficial in a multicultural classroom, and helping those students that are second language learners. The benefits for this type of instruction are plentiful, and the creativity for lesson plans are endless for educators.
Cooperative learning brings the students together so that they may have a "meeting of the minds." Their success depends on one another, and it also helps encourage respect for their other group members, problem solving, and critical thinking and helps students come out of their shell. According to David and Roger Johnson in their Introduction to Cooperative Learning, "How teachers structure student-student interaction patterns has a lot to say about how well students learn, how they feel about school and the teacher, how they feel about each other, and how much self-esteem they have."
The need for Cooperative learning does not end within the K-12 classroom. It is also a technique commonly used in higher education. The students establish a relationship among their other group’s members, and there are several processes that come into play. According to the Journal of Effective Teaching, both Kari and Jennifer Jones describe the 5 Pillars of Cooperative Learning
Figure 1
The benefits for students using the Cooperative learning method is plentiful. Not only are their academic benefits, but also the social-emotional growth that occurs during this activity, and the role of contribution it can play for the students in the future. The five most desired attributes by employers, as researched by Kari and Jennifer Jones, in The Journal of Effective Teaching, are the following:
All of these attributes can be developed by this teaching method. "Without the cooperation of its members society cannot survive, and the society of man has survived because the cooperativeness of its members made survival possible…. It was not an advantageous individual here and there who did so, but the group."(Johnson & Johnson from Introduction to Cooperative Learning)
There are many lesson plans that can involve Cooperative Grouping, and the resources to help teachers develop their strategies are endless. For example, Laura Chandler, a fellow educator, developed her own site on this teaching methods, and she offers some free resources for the classroom.
Dr. Spencer Kagan, and his team, have done years of research on student centered teaching, and Dr. Kagan's website is full of free articles, tips, resources and other information to help inform teachers, on the student centered teaching methods, developed by Dr. Kagan, including Cooperative Learning. In one of his articles, The Essential 5: AStarting Point for Kagan Cooperative Learning, this gives teachers a starting point on ideas for their Cooperative Learning lesson plan.
The Essential 5!
In pairs, students alternate generating brief oral responses.
Examples:
• List adjectives to describe the character.
• List inert elements.
• Share steps of the experiment.
• Describe an event from the story.
In pairs, students share with a partner for a predetermined time while the partner listens. Then partners switch roles.
Examples:
• What is the key thing that you learned?
• What is one literary technique you plan to use in your writing and how will you use it?
In teams, students take turns responding orally.
Examples:
• What makes a good listener?
• List objects that float?
• What clubs or societies are you a member of?
• What is one of your favorite movies?
Partners take turns, one solving a problem while the other coaches. Then partners switch roles.
• Useful for any process or procedure with a definite right/wrong.
• Solve multi-step word problems in math.
• Change each decimal into a simplified fraction.
Students stand up, put their hand up and quickly find a partner with whom to share or discuss.
This structure is perfect for classbuilding, processing and reviewing information, energizing the class, forming random pairs or teams, lesson starts or wraps.
Other resources available for teachers:
Teachers Pay Teachers
Teaching With Simplicity
Classroom Freebies
Overall, Cooperative Learning can be both beneficial to both, the students and the teacher. It also allows the teacher to engage their students in a more personal, effective way that will build friendships and relationships that may last beyond the end of the school year.